HUD issued a factsheet on July 12 highlighting how the $5 billion Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program established by the “American Rescue Plan Act” is helping tens of thousands of people access housing. As of July 2022, approximately 87% of EHVs are in use (either leased or currently issued). The EHV program has already helped more than 26,000 households with renters who were homeless, survivors of domestic violence, or otherwise at risk of not being able to afford a safe, stable place to call home. Nearly 35,000 voucher holders are in the process of searching for a unit or completing the lease process.
The EHV program is the first special purpose voucher program administered by HUD designed to address homelessness that is not specific to veterans. Through the program, HUD awarded 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local public housing authorities (PHAs) to assist individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness; fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; or who were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability. The program provides communities with new flexibilities and resources to help people facing higher barriers to stable housing successfully use the vouchers, including through robust administrative funding and a new service fee that allows program administrators to pay for costs needed to help families obtain and retain housing.
With 37% of vouchers utilized to date, the program is leasing at a rate faster than any previous voucher program managed by HUD. PHAs continue to issue roughly 1,200 EHVs per week, and the time for issuance to lease is 77 days on average. Of the vouchers issued 180 or more days ago, approximately 58% have resulted in recipients being housed. At the current rate, the program is on track to reach full lease-up by the end of 2023.
HUD’s factsheet highlights the ways many communities are targeting their EHV vouchers to households with the greatest needs. EHV-assisted households have incomes of $11,349 on average – 27% less than the average income of Housing Choice Voucher households. Additionally, the factsheet provides examples of PHAs across the country that are successfully using their service fees to help house individuals and families through landlord incentives, housing search fees, and application fees and security deposit assistance. HUD also outlines the steps it has taken to address utilization challenges and ensure that more households can obtain housing through the EHV program, including by providing direct support to PHAs through technical assistance and engaging landlords to encourage more participation in HUD’s voucher programs.
Read HUD’s new factsheet at: https://bit.ly/3v00PhE
Learn more about the EHV program and access the EHV dashboard at: https://www.hud.gov/ehv